On Friday, the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association (IRFA) and Iowa Corn Growers Association (ICGA) submitted written comments to the Iowa Utilities Commission (IUC), highlighting the widening competitive gap between ethanol producers with access to Carbon Capture, Use, and Sequestration (CCUS) technology, such as Summit Carbon Solutions’ CO2 pipeline, and those without it.
In particular, the comments noted that Iowa’s farm economy has seen dramatic increases in bankruptcies at the same time as falling farm income in recent years. A 2026 study commissioned by both groups concluded that this trend could be reversed by “enabling new demand opportunities to be realized…through ultra-low-carbon ethanol, farmers could get their returns from the market.”
The letter outlined hundreds of millions of gallons of new ethanol projects coming online across the Midwest from producers utilizing CCUS technology. Major ethanol expansions continue to pass by Iowa as producers invest capital in states with the competitive advantages provided by CCUS access.
IRFA Policy Director Colin Gorton also stated, “Iowa is no longer the best place to produce a gallon of ethanol due to our inability to sequester CO2. We have the corn, but it’s disheartening to think about exporting that corn to other states with CCUS instead of benefiting from adding value to it right here in Iowa.”
IRFA and ICGA concluded their comments by requesting that the IUC “consider Summit Carbon Solutions’ permit requests in a thoughtful but expeditious manner with a full understanding of the public benefit at stake for ethanol producers, farmers, and the entire Iowa economy.”
Without tools like the Summit Carbon Solutions CO2 pipeline, Iowa ethanol plants remain at a competitive disadvantage to producers in other states. Restoring Iowa’s rural economy will require rectifying this imbalance and ensuring Iowa’s farmers can sell their corn for more than it costs to produce.
